Dodge will drop Avenger, Grand Caravan as part of Fiat’s new 5-year business plan

In order to follow Fiat’s new five-year business plan, Dodge is preparing to drop some models from its lineup. As a result, Dodge will end the production of the Avenger in 2014 and it will not build a new model because the Chrysler 200 will address this portion of the market.

Moreover, the production of the Grand Caravan will end in 2016 as the Chrysler Town & Country will address this portion of the market. The next-generation Dodge Dart will arrive in 2016, followed by the Dart SRT few months later.

The Journey / D CUV will debut in 2016, while the D CUV SRT will be introduced in 2017. In 2018, the new subcompact hatch from Dodge will be introduced, followed by a SRT version in early 2017. The next-generation Dodge Challenger will be unveiled in 2018, while by the end of the year the Challenger SRT will arrive. In the same period, Dodge will present the Charger and the Charger SRT versions.

A mid-cycle freshening of the Dodge Durange will be revealed in early 2017. The SRT Viper will also be refreshed in 2015. As of today, the Dodge brand will get a new leader as Tim Kuniskis will be the new leader of the SRT brand, replacing Ralph Gilles who will continue as the Senior Vice President of Product Design and President and CEO of Motorsports.

Tim Kuniskis will also continue his role as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Dodge Brand and head of the company’s Fleet Operations.

“I want to thank Ralph for his dedication to the SRT brand,” said Sergio Marchionne, Chairman and CEO, Chrysler Group LLC. “Under Ralph’s leadership, the SRT brand expanded its vehicle lineup to include more highly customized models and received numerous automotive awards and distinctions.”

Tim Kuniskis said today that the sales of Dodge in the United States will fall 8 percent this year to 546,000 but by 2018 they will grow slowly and reach their target of 600,000 units.